Meta

Jesus was a martyr but at least he didn’t take anyone down with him. His suicide (which is what it was if you believe his mission was to die for us) in my opinion makes zero sense, but hey – billions of people for centuries seem to think that his dying redeemed us from Original sin (That seductress – Eve). I, for the life of me am incapable of grasping how and why one would come to this conclusion. But, that’s another blog.

Anyway, the fact of the matter is Jesus did not kill anyone (God the father killed millions , but Jesus did not). Jesus also preaches thou shall not kill. So yes, Jesus was a martyr but as I said… On the other hand, the other monotheistic Abrahamic religion – Islam, explicitly encourages and rewards persons who not only commit suicide but also murder as many people as possible in the process in the name of their god Allah. Lovely!!!

How counterintuitive is it to think that suicide and mass murder is something that will get you into Paradise with all those virgins. Just absolute nonsense!!! WTF are these zealots thinking???

So to get to my point, what if one of these suicidal homicidal martyrs gets his hands on nuclear weaponry? It’s over – that’s what. End of the species – Sapiens and the Genus – Homo. Thankfully, N. Korea is not a theocracy and Kim Jung-Un is not suicidal. But Iran is.

So WhaDaYaThink? What do you think? What I’ve always thought to myself was – thank God making a nuclear bomb is prodigiously difficult. If it was easy, you wouldn’t be reading this now. You’d be dead.

The way I see it there are essentially three existential threats to our survival as a species:

1. Climate Change.

2. Nuclear War or Catastrophe.

3. Artificial General Intelligence.

This growing trend of Nationalism, intolerance, and authoritarianism beginning with our simple-minded president is trending now and spreading throughout Europe. This notion that America, France or Austria are subordinating their best interests to outsiders is absurd. We ought to be building NATO and economic unions not dismantling them. We must have cooperation, regulation, or some sort of governance on a global level if we’re going to evolve and flourish as a species in this day and age in light of these 3 very real aforementioned threats.

So WhaDaYaThink? What do you think?

I’ve had a bad dream. No, wait, a nightmare. I haven’t mentioned it before because I was hoping it would all go away by itself. Aside from the occasional snide remark, I’ve mostly remained silent on the subject. Much like a turtle inside its shell hiding from the world and wondering if I get to live another year toward what’s supposed to be my final chapter in which I write my own glorious ending as I plan for my retirement. Only someone has swiped my pen and I’m staring at a blank piece of paper. And the only thing that comes to mind now is “The End”.

But the recent protests and marches prove that millions of us are having the same nightmare we can’t wake up from. And that’s even scarier. Yes, I AM AFRAID. Or was. This culmination of like minded people taking to the streets has given me heart. There’s something rising up in my chest that feels a little bit exhilarating. It feels like……HOPE!

Still I can’t help wondering, how did it ever get to this point? Oh sure, I understand we all want change. But what KIND of change are we looking for? Are we so desperate we would choose an inexperienced, narcissistic, bigoted, 2 year old in the guise of a madman who disparages women and mimics those less fortunate? (No, wait, there’s no guise here, he’s not that clever.) I could go on with a list of very unflattering adjectives, all of which would suit and still fall short of a full description of the man chosen to fill the most important job in the world. A man so disgustingly full of himself, he would dare make jokes in front of the sacred CIA Memorial Wall of Agency Heroes. Now I’m not as afraid as I am ANGRY.

This person (I cringe at calling him a man) has no business taking up residence in the White House(!), the home of our forefathers , the prestigious place of all of the great men and women (wait, we’re getting there) who built this country with integrity and honesty. This person doesn’t even comprehend the meaning of these words yet he not only dares place his hand upon a bible, but it’s the same bible President Abraham Lincoln used at his inauguration. Was that supposed to tell us they’re on the same level???? Believe me, for him, it wasn’t so much of a swearing in as it was a swearing at. And before I say too much and go on a rant, let me just say this……..I find the mere mention of his name so vile and repugnant, the only reference I’ll make to it is to say, sort of rhymes with strumpet, (and that’s not a bad analogy), so……….

SOUND THE TRUMPETS!!!

Will someone, anyone please, assume executive power that has half a brain and half a heart?

I’ve no doubt that this show of unity in recent days will make a difference. So take heart. Have HOPE. To quote Miss Emily Dickinson, “Hope is the thing with feathers with that perches in the soul….” I think the thing with feathers is perched on the top of his head, what do you think? Let’s have a tug at it, shall we?

You know what is sad??? Some of the greatest scientific minds in the world would rather devote their entire lives devising insanely twisted weapons of mass destruction instead of healing, preserving, creating…. etc.

‘New Scientist’ magazine recently came out with a timeline of weapons technology and what our Defense department has been up to with our hard – earned tax dollars. This is a list of some of the stuff we’ve come up with over the past decade:

2001

US president George W Bush proposes a national missile defense shield. The scheme meets with stinging criticism and the technology repeatedly fails to deliver in tests.

The Active Denial System, a directed-energy weapon intended to harmlessly drive people away, is tested by the US government. The device uses a microwave beam to produce a sensation of intense heat, forcing people to move away. Despite concerns about safety, portable versions have been mooted for police.

2002

For the first time, a high-energy laser is used to shoot down artillery fire.

The Pulsed Energy Projectile (PEP), a laser that can knock you off your feet, is developed.

2007

Australian weapons company Metal Storm files a key patent for its gun, which fires a million rounds a minute.

2008

In another milestone for high-energy lasers, the Airborne Laser is fired from an aircraft for the first time.

Also, Stellar Photonics begins testing of their experimental Plasma Acoustic Shield System, which generates a dazzling series of mid-air explosions by blasting balls of plasma with high-powered lasers.

2009

A US government report advocates using neuroscience to enhance soldiers’ abilities.

A few months ago, a book published by Belknap Press and written by Robert Neer was released entitled ‘Napalm: An American Biography’ Beware – this is a mind – numbingly chilling book !!! Check out this excerpt: “Napalm, incendiary gel that sticks to skin and burns to the bone, came into the world on Valentine’s Day 1942 at a secret Harvard war research laboratory. On March 9, 1945, it created an inferno that killed over 87,500 people in Tokyo—more than died in the atomic explosions at Hiroshima or Nagasaki. It went on to incinerate sixty-four of Japan’s largest cities. The Bomb got the press, but napalm did the work.

After World War II, the incendiary held the line against communism in Greece and Korea—Napalm Day led the 1950 counter-attack from Inchon—and fought elsewhere under many flags. Americans generally applauded, until the Vietnam War. Today, napalm lives on as a pariah: a symbol of American cruelty and the misguided use of power, according to anti-war protesters in the 1960s and popular culture from Apocalypse Now to the punk band Napalm Death and British street artist Banksy. Its use by Serbia in 1994 and by the United States in Iraq in 2003 drew condemnation. United Nations delegates judged deployment against concentrations of civilians a war crime in 1980. After thirty-one years, America joined the global consensus, in 2011.

I have not read the entire book yet (I’m not sure I want to), but ‘Napalm …. Biography’ truly is a masterful piece of non-fiction that is thoroughly researched and if you choose to read it, you will learn everything from how it was developed, used, planned (during WWII, the U.S. military was actually contemplating attacking Japan with 100s of millions of bats with little napalm time bombs attached to them…. How sick & twisted is that ???). So, yes it’s a prodigiously disturbing book but the macabre details are so fascinating it’s almost impossible to put down.

So WhaDaYaThink ? What do you think ? Sadly, we happen to live in a super scary world, hence, being the world’s police, we need WOMDs. However, Napalm, lasers, mind control, etc. ???

Point #1: The suicide bombers who attacked us on 9/11 are/were cowards.

· Howard Stern believes they were cowards , even though they were willing to die for their actions.

· Bill Maher adamantly points out that indeed the actions of the terrorists were beyond comprehension – sick, evil, and twistedly evil, however the terrorists were nevertheless not cowardly, they actually were willing to give up their lives for what they believed in.

Point #2: All men who join the military are tough – ass – brave Mother – Fuckers.

· Both Stern and Maher concur on this point.

Point #3: An advanced militarily – super powerful country with multi – million $$ jets are safely and easily able to twistedly lob powerful bombs on innocent civilians, killing scores of people and turning a town or city into a literal fireball (Yes women, children, and innocent babies were incinerated).

· Stern thinks this is courageous and ingenious.

· Maher vehemently disagrees.

Point #4: Suicide missions, as a form of warfare are imprudent and never effective in terms of accomplishing military goals.

· Stern thinks that anyone who would sacrifice his or her life in battle is insane and is strategically unsound (Stern’s words – insane)

· Bill Maher couldn’t disagree more and in fact believes that this course of action is probably the wisest action in terms of having any possible chance at winning a war against a nation – state that has far superior resources and military power.

Point# 5: Dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a good idea.

· The completely ignorant Howard Stern thought that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was just a swell idea (hearing this from big bird just makes me want to vomit).

· Bill Maher knows his history and in fact was mindful of the fact that the Japanese were willing to surrender before the U.S. dropped the bomb. Hey here’s another FYI , the U.S. completely bombed the living crap out of Tokyo turning the city into just one big fireball – the war was over & Truman simply wanted to insert the coup – de – grace and show – off to the Russians.

So, WhaDaYaThink ? What do you think ? Who do you like better, or do you think they are both jack – ass comedians who should not even talk about serious, weighty matters. What angers me the most I think, is the misuse of the word “coward” – evil, disgusting PIGS !!! – YES, but not cowardly, they killed themselves …. Last I read Howard Stern and Bill Maher are still alive with their mansions, money and beautiful wives.

Just a little something about how absurd the word “war by conventional means” is : “ A defenseless city, Tokyo attacked by legal weapons designed to create a firestorm (can you imagine ???) here is a cut and paste from Wikipedia

The figure of roughly 100,000 deaths, provided by Japanese and American authorities, both of whom may have had reasons of their own for minimizing the death toll, seems to me arguably low in light of population density, wind conditions, and survivors’ accounts. With an average of 103,000 inhabitants per square mile (396 people per hectare) and peak levels as high as 135,000 per square mile (521 people per hectare), the highest density of any industrial city in the world, and with firefighting measures ludicrously inadequate to the task, 15.8 square miles (41 km2) of Tokyo were destroyed on a night when fierce winds whipped the flames and walls of fire blocked tens of thousands fleeing for their lives. An estimated 1.5 million people lived in the burned out areas.[12]

I guess this is all peachy – keen for Mr. Stern who makes millions of $$$ for penis jokes and who thinks dropping bombs (and even nuclear weapons) on third world countries is a joke !!!

I think we, the United States is in a no – win situation. To start, the obvious is that the use of chemical weapons and nerve gas by the Assad regime against its own citizens is absolutely reprehensible and I’m certain that in a perfect world those who were responsible would be identified, targeted, and ultimately eliminated from the face of the earth. However obviously this is something that is neither tenable nor remotely possible and the only option our country has in terms of retribution is strategic military strikes. BUT, just think , not only is this not an effective viable solution i.e. just more civilian deaths and massive infrastructure destruction, not to mention the rabbit hole with which this country, the United States, would have to contend e.g. “boots on the ground”, the tenuous geopolitical relationships we have with nations such as Russia and Iran (who support the Assad government), the Palestinians who are split … Israel and a plethora of other catastrophic scenarios, etc. Furthermore, what is the end game ?

The Assad regime (The notorious Ba’ath Party) is wicked beyond belief but I think we can all agree that the Syrian rebel fighters are certainly not our friends. This civil war has been going on for more than 2 years now (Arab Spring) and more than 100,000 people have died, just about half of whom are civilians. So, WhadaweThink ? What do you think? The Middle East is war – torn and a mess; whether we strike or do nothing will invariably have repercussions. We can’t turn a blind eye to a nation that uses chemical weapons but I feel there is nothing we can do but lament the ineffable sadness of it all.

Time Magazine is getting heat from some people who think they’ve gone too far by displaying a picture of a terrified 3 year old boy with dirt on his face and blood on his head that will be on the cover of a special edition of the Boston Marathon tragedy. The critics are saying: “This is what the terrorists want” or “this is blood money and exploitation.” Certainly there is some truth to these assertions and I acknowledge this, but I am for one all for showing what “really” happens in war, terror attacks, and some national tragedies “if” the publication is NOT exploitative (I guess this maybe at the crux of what’s going on at Time).Portray reality – don’t overplay or underplay the savage brutality of terror and war. Yes, the adage ‘If it bleeds it leads’ is a fact and news publications are in the business of making money, but a free press is perhaps the most important staple of an open and transparent democracy. I actually don’t think we show enough of the unimaginable horrors of war – especially concerning those who survive but are maimed, crippled and damaged. Phil Donahue and Bill Moyers produced a feature documentary depicting the daily struggles of a young man who served his country and was sadly victim of an explosive in which shrapnel tore through his young body leaving him paralyzed and left to spend the rest of his life in a wheel chair. What is it like having to go to the bathroom in a colostomy bag? Or consider the ordeal of simply bathing when you can’t move and need others to help you do what every other healthy individual takes for granted. The mundane existence of what happens to damaged soldiers, physically and psychologically, is simply not shown ENOUGH ! Before we shuffle off our sons and daughters or before a young person decides to join the military on his or her own, they and we ought to know what they are getting themselves into. Not everyone makes it back in one piece and one has to think long and hard about whether or not you wish to sacrifice life and limb for this country.
I also think we have an obligation to show the public what happens when twisted – evil – monsters blow up innocent people; what is the point of sugar – coating an event when our country is attacked ? Now certainly exploitation and exhibiting carnage for the sake of bloodlust is another matter e.g. thankfully the media had the good sense not to show the bloodied bodies of the children at Newtown.So WhaDaYaThink ? What do you think ? Is the Time Magazine picture exploitation or not?

Tomas Young, a patriot and courageous man, at the tender age of 21, joined the army 2 days after 9/11 because he felt it was his duty to go after the terrorists who murdered some 3,000 + of his fellow citizens. Instead of being deployed to Afghanistan to fight Al Qaida, he was sent to Iraq which incidentally, as we all know now,had nothing at all to do with 9/11 (not to mention no WMD).
Tragically, Tomas was hit with shrapnel that shattered his spine and left him paralyzed from the chest down; a young man’s life snuffed out just like that. War is hell & sadly necessary but the real issue at hand here is that Mr. Young was sent to the wrong country and was fighting people who had nothing to do with the very reason he enlisted in the army to begin with. Here is what Tomas had to say in an open letter to Bush and Cheney:I joined the Army two days after the 9/11 attacks. I joined the Army because our country had been attacked. I wanted to strike back at those who had killed some 3,000 of my fellow citizens. I did not join the Army to go to Iraq, a country that had no part in the September 2001 attacks and did not pose a threat to its neighbors, much less to the United States. I did not join the Army to “liberate” Iraqis or to shut down mythical weapons-of-mass-destruction facilities or to implant what you cynically called “democracy” in Baghdad and the Middle East. I did not join the Army to rebuild Iraq, which at the time you told us could be paid for by Iraq’s oil revenues.“

I write this letter, my last letter, to you, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney. I write not because I think you grasp the terrible human and moral consequences of your lies, manipulation, and thirst for wealth and power. I write this letter because, before my own death, I want to make it clear that I, and hundreds of thousands of my fellow veterans, along with millions of my fellow citizens, along with hundreds of millions more in Iraq and the Middle East, know fully who you are and what you have done. You may evade justice but in our eyes you are each guilty of egregious war crimes, of plunder and, finally, of murder, including the murder of thousands of young Americans—my fellow veterans—whose future you stole.”

Tomas Young is just another victim of a prodigiously long list of innocent victims. So WhaDaYaThink ? What do you think? I know it’s ludicrous to even think that Bush and Cheney would be put on trial for war crimes. However, the facts are the facts – and the W. administration flat out lied to the American public and thousands of brave men and women have paid the price with their lives.

Glen Doherty – former Navy Seal and staunch opponent of Christian Proselytizers/bullies trying to convert Muslims to Christianity and a member of MRFF (Military Religious Freedom Foundation)



Tyrone Snowden – Navy Seal and Member of State Department Diplomatic Security

These human beings died when a U.S. Consulate was attacked at Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012 – these are the facts and the easy part in terms of understanding what happened, the rest is just spin and ugly politics; especially, as usual being hurled from the right.This is an editorial and perhaps I’m biased, but I can’t possibly see how this tragedy could have been averted. Were there threats and violence beforehand near Benghazi ? Of course, but allow me to pose, how many consulates or diplomatic missions are the United States involved in, umm, well how many countries are there ? Benghazi was certainly on the Obama administration’s radar, but it happened, and there is nothing we can or could have done (without having been giving specific intelligence as to where and when) about it.
Some more ugly politics, this time on the left – how Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Susan Rice handled the tragedy afterwards – no they ought to have stated the truth about prior intelligence indicating a strong possibility of a strike, and no Obama and Rice should have immediately declared TERRORIST ATTACK and not played footsy; but folks this is a very delicate situation in which we’re enmeshed. We just killed Muammar Gaddafi and we’re in the process of establishing diplomatic relations with a nation that was for more than 40 years ruled by the iron fist of this vicious dictatorship and under extreme Islamist sentiment.
So WhaDaYaThink? What do you think? I thought the GOP was especially vicious in terms of the way they attacked Hillary Clinton yesterday – my goodness she was so ill, she almost died. However, Mrs. Clinton handled herself well and I guess I would have been surprised and a little disappointed if the republicans actually unprecedentedly showed a little compassion.

Mitt Romney certainly tightened the race after the first debate and made the last few weeks quite interesting. However, the bottom line is we the American people realizing we could not afford to start all over, ultimately made the right decision, and re-elected President Obama. Obviously, there is a lot of work ahead and the only way this country, the United States, will be able to finish the job of restoring this country to greatness is if we first of all recognize that this country is in a dire situation; and although we certainly still need the necessary checks and balances of the two party system the politics of partisanship is crippling this country and we MUST learn to work together. Obama won the Electoral College quite handily, but barely eked out the popular vote which was 51 to 49 percent – our country is deeply divided and this has to change.We recently witnessed how much more effective and efficiently things can get done when Governor Chris Christie (R) of NJ and pre – hurricane sandy staunch opponent of Obama, elected to put partisanship in his back pocket and embrace Obama’s administration’s effort to stabilize the ravaged state. It’s unfortunate and perhaps now a silver lining that it took a deadly disaster to open our eyes, disregard party affiliation and focus on policy that works, not whether one is a democrat or republican. The republican House of Representatives must heed Christie’s prudent actions and permit the president to finish his job and carry out his plan to make this nation prosperous and safe once again. The United States’ legislators have to get in that extreme state of voting for “whatever works legislation” and convince their constituents that this is the only path to recovery.
This is a laundry list of what we have on our collective plate:

 Create jobs, jobs, and more jobs – the economy is on everyone’s mind and this is now our #1 priority.

 This country is comprised of the most culturally diverse and eclectic population on the planet. What makes this nation unique and wonderful is we’re protected by the first amendment which enables each and every individual to practice any given religion, adopt any opinion and voice one’s opinion and even vehemently criticize anyone who attempts to impede this right. However, regardless of our differences we must work together as one. (As an incidental note, did you see the crowd supporting Romney when he gave his concession speech, a sea of white faces, and with Obama’s audience, what we saw was every race, creed, culture, etc. represented – it was a true microcosm of the nation in which we live).

 To reiterate what I’ve written and what Obama said – Action not politics.

 We must reduce the monumentally prodigious deficit of 16 trillion dollars.

 We have to cut our dependence on foreign oil and continue to invest in alternative ways of energy. I know Romney continually brought up the fact that we spent 90 billion dollars on solar. Well, sorry Mr. Romney we can’t continue to extract fossil fuels, we have to stop being so selfish and start thinking about our grandchildren.

 Tax the rich. We haven’t had such disparity between the haves and have nots and no middle class since the gilded age (1877 – 1893 due to industrial revolution – another blog).

 Make sure Iran does not get nuclear weapons.

 Syria and the Arab Spring is still crazy – we have to keep an attentive eye on this precarious situation.

 We have to carefully and intelligently wind down the war in Afghanistan.

 We have to ensure we keep pace and ultimately surpass China.

 We all hate war, but we must somehow intelligently remain #1 militarily but at the same time cut out wasteful spending.

 Immigration issues.

 I personally love the arts and humanities and there is a place in our society for them (we need to cut here – big time. Do your artwork or writing after work, that’s what I do, why do you need federal funds? P.s. – just for now – another blog) but what we have to focus on and encourage our young people to get interested in is STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). The world caught up to us after so many years and one can have the greatest economic plan in the world, but if you don’t have STEM, it’s MEANINGLESS. Invest in Stem. Give federal grants to STEM. STEM creates jobs – period.

Well, WhaDaYaThink ? What do you think ? Mitt Romney was certainly very gracious when he gave his concession speech and basically echoed all of the issues I raised here about working together, but he spent almost a billion dollars on a losing cause. I’m sure he was crying and punching inanimate objects when he left the stage – if not, his investors certainly were.